Steppin' Out Calendar

Published
8:00 pm EDT, Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Special

The fourth annual ISD Renaissance Festival in Greenwich will be held from 9:45 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 25 on the grounds of The International School at Dundee, 55 Florence Road, Riverside. Tickets are $10 per person (ages 5 through adult). Activities inclue Aerial Angels, fire-eating, contortion, Shakespeare with the Tragidiots, Magic of the Mask, Medieval Fables, a Fire and Sword Show, Renaissance Dancing Lessons, Armed Combat shows, a medieval Blacksmith and woodcarving. Back by popular demand will be Sheriff Bracken and his dunk tank, magic shows, sword lessons, Lorna the Sheppardess and her collection of animals, Japanese Drums and Renaissance period music and games. For additional information and directions, visit www.isdrenaissance.com

Stamford Symphony Orchestra, Steinway Piano Gallery of Westport, 501 Post Road East, Westport. 325-1407. Sundays: Mozart & Friends Recitals; warm your winter afternoons with the most intimate works of Mozart and other great composers. Recitals by musicians of the Stamford Symphony and their friends take place Sunday afternoons at 4 p.m.

The Connecticut Symphonic Band invites wind, brass and percussion players to join the nearly 60 musicians from all over Fairfield County who comprise this upper level wind ensemble. Musicians who are new to CSB are invited to sit in on a rehearsal and may have an informal placement audition. Rehearsals are on Wednesday evenings at 7:30 at Stratford High School. For more information visit www.ctsymphonicband.com or call 203-386-1625.

Fairfield County Symphony Society welcomes violinists, violists, cellists and double bass players over age 18 to play with them. The society meets every Tuesday at the Merit Music Studios, Main Street, Norwalk from 7:30 to 9:45 p.m. Occasional concerts for the public are held. All levels welcome; no audition needed. Call 227-7372.

The Town Players of New Canaan will hold open auditions for their Family Holiday Show, "Mother Goose - The Panto," written by Bob Heather and Roger Lamb, on Monday and Tuesday, Oct. 27-28 at the Powerhouse, Waveny Park, New Canaan, at 7 p.m. for children (age ten and older) and 7:30 p.m. for adults, with possible callbacks on Wednesday, Oct. 29. For further information, call director Patrick Kiley at 763-9416 or visit www.tpnc.org.

The Bruce Museum, 1 Museum Drive, Greenwich. 869-0376. Through Jan. 11: "Paris Portraits: Artists, Friends and Lovers"; glimpse into the world of the Parisian avant-garde is revealed through paintings, sculpture, and works on paper featuring works by Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, Constantin Brancusi, Amedeo Modigliani, Francis Picabia, Marie Laurencin, Marcel Duchamp, and Max Beckmann. Through Oct. 26: "Double Exposure: Aerial Photographs of Glaciers Then and Now"; the show documents one aspect of the warming climate through fourteen pairs of panoramas of glaciers once grand but now receding. Legendary mountaineer Bradford Washburn took the original pictures in the early and mid-1900s. Writer/photographer David Arnold took the current images. Through Nov. 9: "Climate change: From Snowball Earth to Global Warming." The show explores the evidence behind theories of past climate change and the science used to model global warming and its effects on our local community. Fossils, geologic samples, cultural and biological specimens, graphics and interactives are used to tell the complex story of climate. Through Nov. 20: "Phenomenal Weather"; showcases the variety of weather events that take place around the globe and explores the subject through interactive displays, objects and images. Tuesday-Saturday 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Sunday 1-5 p.m.; $7 adults, $6 seniors and students, free admission for children 5 and under and members; free admission for all on Tuesday.

Carriage Barn Arts Center, Waveny Park, New Canaan. Through Dec. 14: "FISH," an exhibition featuring works by 15 artists from Connecticut and New York who have been inspired by the aesthetics, the experience, and the rich tradition and lore of fish and fishing. The show includes sculpture, assemblage, photography, printmaking, and painting. An opening reception will be held 4-6 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 19. The reception is free and open to the public. Gallery hours: Tuesday-Friday noon-4 p.m., Saturday-Sunday 1-5 p.m.

Center for Contemporary Printmaking, 299 West Ave., Norwalk. 899-7999. Through Nov. 8: "Michael Mazur: Monotypes"; an exhibition of forty monotypes by Mazur, a leading proponent of the monotype, a painterly printmaking process which creates unique impression. Hours: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

Loft Artist Association, 845 Canal Street, second floor, Stamford. 323-4153. Through Oct. 26: "The Unconventional Self: Not Your Average Portrait Show"; presents more than 30 artists' take on their own image, using everything from collage to 3-D construction. Gallery hours are Friday -Sunday, 12-5 p.m.

Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk, 10 North Water St., Norwalk. 852-0700. Ongoing: "Sea Monsters, Dinosaurs of the Deep exhibit featuring fossil skeletons of monsters and other creatures seen in the Imax movie playing there. "Adventure Under the Sea" features some of the real undersea animals (like sponges, crabs, sea stars) that inspired the SpongeBob cartoon characters. "Ocean Playspace," toddler play area. Aquarium features Loggerhead sea turtles, river otters, sharks, seals, frogs and 120 other species from Long Island Sound; also maritime exhibits, educational programs and a boat-building shop. Daily 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Admission: $11, $10 for senior citizens, $9 children 2-12, free to children under 2.

New Canaan Nature Center, 144 Oenoke Ridge, New Canaan. 966-9577. Through Oct. 30: "Children In Nature," featuring the work of New Canaan resident Catharine McChord is on display in the Visitors Center Sturgess Room. Hours: Tuesday through Sunday: 9:30 a.m.- 4:30 p.m. On Saturdays, the gallery is closed between 12:30 and 2 p.m.

Pierce Ball Gallery, 9 Webbs Hill Road, Stamford. Through Nov. 16: "Elephant Expressions," a show of paintings by two African elephants that live in the bush of Okavango Delta in Botswanan, Africa. Showings by appointment only.

Stamford Museum and Nature Center, 39 Scofieldtown Road, Stamford. 322-1646. Through Feb. 1: "Pets in America," featuring more than 300 objects, including pet attire, feeding and housing implements, pet remedies, the very first bag of Kitty Litter, a mouse theater and a coat and collar made for President Roosevelt's famous dog, Fala, on loan from F.D.R.'s Presidential Library and Museum in Hyde Park, New York. Heckscher Farm, Overbrook Nature Center, observatory, forest and trail system. Admission: $8, $6 for senior citizens and students, children $4, free to children age 3 and under.

Wadsworth Atheneum, 600 Main St., Hartford. (860) 278-2670, Ext. 3061. Through Nov. 9: "Pop to the Present: New Questions, New Responses." Ongoing: "Photography from the Collections" explores photography from the 1930s to the present day through a diverse selection of approximately 70 works. Hours: Wednesday-Friday 11 a.m.-5 p.m., Saturday-Sunday 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; admission $10, $8 senior citizens, $5 students, free to children 12 and under. Free for all on Thursday and before noon on Saturday. Free tours Wednesday-Friday at noon, Saturday-Sunday at 2:30 p.m.

Westport Arts Center, 51 Riverside Ave., Westport. 222-7070. Through Nov. 30: "Optimism," an exhibition examining the role of art as a form of political activism. Through Nov. 30: "The Contemporary Political Cartoon." Hours: 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Friday, noon-4 p.m. Saturday-Sunday.

Westport Historical Society, Route 7, Wilton. Through Nov. 15: "Quilts and Quilt Making: From Hand to High Tech"; quilts by Roxanne Lasky, co-owner of The Quilter's Alley in Ridgefield.

Connecticut Singles Dance Party will be held at 8 p.m.-12:30 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 25 at the Sons of Italy, 162 New Canaan Ave., Norwalk. $20, includes a dinner buffet from 8-9:30 p.m., as well as coffee and dessert at 11:30 p.m. "Dress to impress"; jeans are not permitted. 261-2414.

Oldies Dance featuring music from the '50s and '60s every Saturday, 9 p.m.-1 a.m. at the American Legion Post 12, 60 County St., Norwalk. Music with DJ Lee Moore "The Duke of Doo Wop." No cover.

V.F.W. Post 603 holds a dance every Friday with music from the '40s, '50s and '60s. Dance from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. at 48 High St., Norwalk. Saturday features karaoke. There is no cover charge. Call 847-9927.

Long Wharf Theatre, 222 Sargent Drive, New Haven. 787-4284. Sunday, Oct. 25: Haunted Theatre Discovery Day, a hands-on, backstage theatrical exploration from 9:15 a.m.-1 p.m. that sparks creativity in participants of all ages through workshops in movement, sound, lighting, costume design, and scenic construction for pre K to high school students. The morning's exploration will culminate in an interactive presentation focused around Megan Lloyd's Halloween story," The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything"; suggested donation of $5/family or $1/person; aAll proceeds benefit the Next Stage Program and the production they will mount as part of their residencies in the spring. Cupcakes and cookies will be available for purchase. Participants are encouraged to come in costume and have their photos taken in front of our Halloween-themed booth. For reservations, call 787-4282 or show up at the door.

South Norwalk Branch Library, 10 Washington St. 899-2790. Friday, Oct. 24: Halloween crafts for grades K-2; make Halloween hats; 4-5 p.m. Monday, Oct. 27: Halloween crafts for grades 3-5; make Halloween pillows; 4-5 p.m. Registration is necessary; call 899-2790. Ext. 3. Tuesday, Oct. 28: Halloween Magic with Jobi and Socks, The Clowns; 6:30-7:30 p.m.; for children in pre-school through grade 5; children may come dressed in costume and the may trick or treat at the library. The first 30 children to register will also get temporary (wash off) Halloween tatoos. Jobi and Socks will put them on after thw show.Registration is strongly suggested; call 899-2790. Ext. 3

Stamford Museum and Nature Center, 39 Scofieldtown Road, Stamford. 322-1646. Sunday through winter: Exploring the Orchestra is a series of interactive "mini-concerts" for children and their families. Kids sit among SSO musicians in a casual setting at the Stamford Museum & Nature Center. Ask the musicians questions and try out instruments after each performance; 1 and 2:30 p.m.

Westport Country Playhouse, 1 Powers Court, Westport. 227-4177. Sunday, Oct. 26: JuggleJoy in a "Tricks and Treats Show," including a costume parade for ages 2-7. Join Tobasco Peppar and Felicity Fussenbother in this fun-filled-not-too-scary special Halloween show. Spinning plates, disappearing (and reappearing) clowns, balancing on the handlebars of a unicycle, magic tricks, juggling and silly fun; 1 p.m.; free by reservation. Pre-show activities, beginning at noon, include story time with "The Little Old Lady Who Is Not Afraid of Anything"; bean bag toss; trick or treat bag decorating; and Halloween coloring pages.

Wilton Library, 137 Old Ridgefield Road, Wilton. 762-3950. Saturday, Oct. 25: Drop-in Bayberry and Beau Crafts; children make crafts based on the characters in Nita Choukas's book, "Bayberry and Beau"; 1:30 p.m. Choukas will be visiting speaking at 2 p.m. No program charge.

Bartlett Arboretum, 151 Brookdale Road, Stamford. 322-6971. A living museum of plants ranging from gardens to natural woodland. A 63-acre arboretum and research grounds. Open year-round.

Beardsley Zoological Gardens, 1878 Noble Ave., Bridgeport. 367-8495. Wild-life of North and South America on 36 acres; New England farmyard, replica of turn-of-the-century carou-sel. Daily 9 a.m.-4 p.m.; admission: $7 for adults, $5 for children ages 3-11 and seniors over 62 and free for children under 3.

Westport Astronomical Society, 182 Bayberry Lane, Westport. Wednesdays and Thursdays: Public Astronomy Nights at the Rolnick Observatory. See the moon, planets, and galaxies from our lawn through Connecticut's largest public telescope or under the observatory dome with our rich-field telescope. Society volunteers will be on hand to act as tour guides and answer all questions about the night sky. All ages welcome. Weather permitting. 8-10 p.m.; free.

Wilton Library, 137 Old Ridgefield Road, Wilton. 762-3950. Thursday, Oct. 23: "A Visit from Teddy Roosevelt"; celebrate the 150th birthday of Theodore Roosevelt with a live performance (by an impersonator). Birthday cake will be served. 7-7:45 p.m. No program fee. No registration. Friday, Oct. 24: "Library Haunted House"; calling all ghosts and goblins, come dressed in Halloween best for games, pizza and spooky activities; for children 8 years and older, caregivers must remain in the building; 6:30-8 p.m. No program charge. Registration required; call 762-3950. Space is limited.

Note: Send calendar items to features@thehour.com or Steppin' Out, The Hour, 346 Main. Ave., Norwalk, CT 06851 at least two weeks before publication date. Items run on a space-available basis and cannot be guaranteed to run.

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